Right after getting dumped, He suddenly learned that his best buddy was the legendary cold-as-ice school beauty. - Chapter 56

The rain had cleared.

After dropping to twenty-five degrees in the downpour, the temperature now soared back up to thirty-five under the glaring sun.

[Qingqian: It’s so hot today.]
[Qingqian: I miss yesterday’s rain.]
[Lu Yibei: That’s how Jiangnan is. Winters and summers last far longer than spring and autumn.]
[Lu Yibei: Remember to drink plenty of water.]
[Qingqian: Such a typical guy.]
[Lu Yibei: ?]
[Lu Yibei: I told you to drink more water, not more hot water.]
[Lu Yibei: Keep hydrated—you’ve still got military training ahead.]
[Qingqian: Why do you always say such scary things? I’m not talking to you anymore.]

But no matter how scary, reality always arrives as scheduled.

This was Lu Yibei’s morning QQ chat with Ji Qingqian. Not long after, she handed over her phone to begin military training.

Lu Yibei headed to class.

His morning was packed: after two professional courses, he had to move to another building for electives.

Liu Jie was yawning violently:

“I’ve got early eight! Seriously, another early eight!”

Even Hao Pangzi looked a little listless:

“If only electives and professional courses were staggered, it’d be better.”

Everyone knew that both university electives and professional courses were perfect for catching up on sleep. But electives allowed for more comfortable napping.

Even Liu Jie, who flunked five courses last semester, was forcing himself to focus. Rumor had it that Chen Dan had warned him recently: flunk this many again, and he’d be doomed.

“Teacher’s careful guidance isn’t as effective as a warning from a girl you like. Truly, a slave to love,” Zhao Sun muttered.

“Damn it! It’s not that—I just feel retaking exams is too embarrassing, so I’m trying extra hard!” Liu Jie defended himself.

Zhao Sun shot him a glance. “I never said it was you—why are you taking that personally? So tense?”

Caught off guard, Liu Jie flushed:

“Who said I’m tense?? I’m just… just this, this this…”

He went on “this-ing” for ages without actually explaining anything.

“If you weren’t tense, you’d notice Sun said it wrong—it’s ‘taking it personally,’ not ‘sitting opposite and numbering’,” Hao Pangzi said.

Liu Jie realized he was right. “Damn it!”

Zhao Sun smirked: “I did it on purpose. See? You were tense.”

Now Liu Jie was really fired up and tried to go after Zhao Sun.

But Zhao Sun’s stand-in, Hao Zhangwen, was too strong—he held Liu Jie firmly with one hand.

Meanwhile, Lu Yibei was chatting on WeChat:

“Hurry up. The juice shop owner said we get free juice—everyone gets a cup.”

Immediately, the quarrel stopped.

“Why?” Zhao Sun asked.

“Oh, a couple of days ago, Beibei and I helped the juice shop owner carry some fruit. She promised us juice, but we had just had milk tea, so we refused,” Hao Pangzi recalled.

“Just passing by—let’s go grab it before she gets mad,” Lu Yibei said with a smile.

Liu Jie raised both hands in agreement:

“Free stuff always tastes best.”

He added, after a moment: “Free and effortless—it tastes even better.”

Though called a “juice shop,” it was really a bubble tea shop on campus. Their bubble tea wasn’t anything special, but the fresh juice was cheap, delicious, and extremely popular—so popular that nobody even remembered the shop sold bubble tea anymore.

The shop owner was somewhere between sisterly and auntie-aged, probably in her late thirties. Gentle, intelligent, and understanding, she even gave them two extra cups after realizing it was the four of them together.

“It’s really hot today,” she said, smiling. Perhaps from all the work, fine crow’s feet appeared at the corners of her eyes as she handed each member of Dorm 404 their juice.

“Drinking your juice makes the heat disappear,” Liu Jie said, trying to sound charming. But combined with his smug tone, it came off as… a little obnoxious.

“Thanks,” Lu Yibei said.

“I should thank you all, too—for helping me move the fruit,” the shop owner replied.

“Just a small favor,” Lu Yibei said with a smile. “Plus, it gets our Pangzi moving—really, you’re too kind.”

After a few casual words, they left the juice shop quickly to get to class.

Liu Jie tried to swap his watermelon juice with Zhao Sun’s orange juice.

Zhao Sun refused, and they bickered as they walked.

Lu Yibei led the way. Just as he was about to pierce his straw through the seal, two classmates approached.

Not in military training, and he didn’t know them—but he caught their conversation.

“Isn’t that Campus Beauty Ji training there?”
“Yeah, that class…”
“Where is she?”
“No idea. The class is right, but she’s nowhere to be seen.”
“Six, out here in this heat, and you don’t even see her? Ridiculous…”

Lu Yibei blinked.

He looked toward the direction they came from.

It was by the playground—the site of Qingqian’s military training, no doubt. He’d been there over ten times and had planned to visit again at noon…

But these two hadn’t seen her?

“Pangzi—”

Hao Zhangwen was walking while looking at his phone. Hearing Lu Yibei, he lifted his head, but Lu Yibei was already ten meters ahead: “Take attendance for me!”

Hao Zhangwen paused: “…Eh, Yibei!”

Lu Yibei didn’t answer.

Zhao Sun and Liu Jie stopped bickering and hurried to Hao Zhangwen’s side.

“What’s happening?”

Hao Zhangwen shook his head: “I’m not close enough.”

Liu Jie watched Lu Yibei sprint away, soon disappearing from sight.

“Running that fast… diarrhea or what?”

…

Lu Yibei dashed across the playground and immediately realized Ji Qingqian wasn’t in that training group.

He ran while calling her.

No answer.

Only one possibility remained.

The infirmary.

Ji Qingqian had shown remarkable physical ability earlier, even among girls. She hadn’t seemed strained during training, so he had gradually eased his worry.

But as training neared its end, something had gone wrong.

Heatstroke? Or anemia?

Several possibilities came to mind, none serious—they were common issues in military training.

Still, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Qingqian, don’t you dare have an accident.

By the time he reached the infirmary, he was panting heavily. Even he struggled a little after high-intensity running in this heat.

Without pausing, Lu Yibei pushed the door.

It cracked open slightly.

Through the gap, he saw a familiar figure.

Ji Qingqian.

…Standing?

And perfectly upright.

He stopped pushing.

Then he heard the doctor inside:

“Don’t worry. Your classmate just overheated from the sun. Drink some Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid, rest a bit, and she’ll be fine…”

Hearing the noise behind her, Ji Qingqian glanced back, noticing the door closing gently.

She nodded to the doctor and quietly said, “Okay.”

“You should drink one too. Carrying your classmate over here is no easy task for a little girl,” the doctor added.